Lost and Found
by dreamsinwords001
Summary: Zoro, a soldier, returns home after many months missing in action to find that his fiance has no memory of him. Amnesia AU.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: One Piece does not belong to me.

 **This is actually a story I've been updating on tumblr. I've been meaning to start moving it over here, but I didn't have time and kept forgetting. But today, I remembered! :)**

Chapter 1

* * *

Heavy boots scraped against concrete as the young man wove his way through the crowded pathway. Cold air burned his lungs. Each breath emerged as a billowing cloud of steam. A duffel bag bounced against his back as he sidestepped men and women – each likely on their way to work. Dressed in suits with their heads ducked down, they were a stark contrast to the young man hurrying amongst them.

Worn boots donned his feet. The green army jacket that fit snugly over his shoulders was faded, but it nonetheless remained several shades darker than his hair.

Cursing beneath his breath, he dodged another oblivious passerby. A year – he'd been gone for a year. And the last two months – his hand clenched over his duffel – the last two months he'd been missing in action. His troop had been ambushed and he'd found himself injured, and for a time, marooned in the wilds. His grip tightened. Every day – he'd thought of her. He couldn't imagine what she'd gone through.

Zoro dodged another oblivious commuter. His rescue had been recent – half a week ago. It was then that he'd heard the news. About the accident. She'd stepped in front of a car. His stomach clenched. He'd been in the hospital, being rehabilitated himself when he'd been told. The doctor had been so matter of fact; his voice was so absurdly even.

He skirted a slow walking group before hopping a fence. As he cut across a park, the grass sparkled beneath him. Drops of dew stained his shoes. They'd said she was fine. Apparently after a couple weeks in the hospital, she'd been released. Of course he'd tried to call her cell, only to be informed by an automated voice that the number was no longer in use. Already on the first plane he could catch, he'd called Usopp next.

Zoro hopped the next fence, resuming his rapidly weaving path through the streets. Calling Usopp; that's where things had gotten weird. Usopp had stuttered over the phone, shocked and elated – they'd thought he was dead. The military had told them there wasn't much hope of him being found. He'd supposed that wasn't much of a surprise really – it was a miracle they found him at all. And then he'd told him the news he'd been waiting to hear. _Yes. She was fine. No, she was out of the hospital. Yes, she was really alright._ But after that, his friend had gone quiet. It was Usopp's last request which had left him unsettled: _When you get back – Zoro – come see me first. Before you go to her._

Zoro let out a huff as he hurried down a paved flight of stairs. The hell with Usopp's request. He'd been missing in action for two months – while he was gone his fiancé had nearly died. He needed to see her. Hell, he needed to hold her.

When the small shop came into sight, his heart jumped in his chest. Home hadn't been going through customs, not leaving the airport walking onto homeland soil, hell, not even coming back to the city he'd lived in all these years. No, home was right through those doors.

Still panting from his frenzied trip, he pushed open the doors. It was the crisp smell of paper that immediately overwhelmed his senses. Decorating the shops walls were maps. In all shapes and sizes, elegant lines portrayed various places around the globe. Each had been painstakingly drawn; they were beautiful. She'd turned cartography into an art. Alone, and more recently with him, she'd seen most – if not all of her mapped landscapes firsthand.

As the door swung closed behind him, he turned. It was just as he'd imagined. All those nights he'd lain, lost and injured in the wild – this was the scene he had fallen asleep imagining. Tucked in a corner of the small shop, a large canvas stretched over a wide, tilted table. Bent over it, her nose nearly brushing the paper, was the woman who'd occupied so many of his thoughts – waking and sleeping. Her orange hair, tucked behind her ears, fell over her shoulders, swaying over the white paper. Brown eyes, trained on the paper, carefully tracked the pen sliding over the page. She bit her lip as she leaned forward. With small, precise strokes she filled the blank space. The only difference – the one thing his fevered mind had not managed to conjure – was the white bandage that encircled her forehead.

Swallowing, he stepped forward. Engrossed in her drawing, she'd yet to notice him. The duffel slipped from his hand. It dropped to the floor with a thud.

Her head snapped up. At the same time her hand jerked up and back, lifting the pen before it could mar the paper. The pen dropped to the table. Brown eyes met his own.

Suddenly his throat felt tight. Abandoning his duffel on the floor, he stepped towards her. "God damn it woman. You really had to go and get yourself hit by a car while I was gone?"

Eyes wide, she raised a hand to her head.

"I called Usopp." Crossing the shop, he couldn't seem to look away from her. "Why didn't you call me? I tried to call you but your phone was disconnected. You scared the shit out of me."

His boots scuffed the ground as he stopped in front of her. With wide eyes, she stared up. He almost couldn't believe it. After all this time, she was there, right before him. This close, he was able to catch the faint scent of citrus and ink. Two smells he would always associate with the woman before him.

With a warm feeling in his stomach and the beginning of a smile on his lips he lifted his hand, intending to pull her close. He needed to feel her against him, to be able to wrap his arms around her and feel her arms around him.

His fingers had barely brushed her sides when she stumbled back. Cursing she grabbed her chair, maneuvering it between them. With flushed cheeks she gave him a flabbergasted glare. "What the hell is your problem?"

Zoro froze. Hands still raised, he stood immobile. He felt as though his body had been struck by lightning. "Nami? What the hell?"

She swallowed. "Are you a stalker? How do you know my name? And about the accident-"

Suddenly it was hard to breathe. This had to be a cruel joke. "Are you kidding? Nami, we're engaged."

They looked down together. Her finger was bare.

Zoro looked from her hand to the bandage around her head – she couldn't have -

Brown eyes met his. They were afraid. "I don't know you."

* * *

Thanks for reading! I kind of love this little story, a lot. Altogether its going to be a little under 20 chapters.

Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: One Piece does not belong to me.

Chapter 2:

* * *

 **[1 month prior to Zoro's Return]**

A chill breeze drifted through the window. Caught in the gusts, curtains swayed. The fluttering fabric whispered in the dim room. In bed, the woman shifted. Eyes, already open, watched the curtains rise and fall. Lying on her side, she tried to breathe in time with their steady sway. Beyond, the sky had begun to change; a tentative shift from gray to blue.

She had gone to bed with an arm folded under her pillow and a leg haphazardly draped over the covers. Now, her toes were cold and her arm cramping. She breathed with the breeze and wondered if she'd actually slept. The night had been long and her dreams fleeting.

Dreams –

She cringed, reflexively drawing her knees to her chest. Closing her eyes, she focused on the feeling of the chill air brushing over her skin.

Dreams. They were horrible and wonderful at once.

They teased.

The one from last night had been the worst; it had been as though he'd never left. Tangled in sheets, they had lain together. Strong arms wrapped around her stomach, hugging her close. With her back tucked against his chest, his slow breaths tickled her neck. She awoke to the ghost of his touch and the fading sound of his breaths, nothing more than the echo of a dream. Her bed had never felt more empty – or more cold.

With the sky brightening beyond the curtains, she rolled. The other half of the bed was made. The pillow, a harder counterpart to her fluffy one, lay neatly in place. Closing her eyes, she pressed her cheek against it. The fabric was cool. She took a deep breath. It still smelled like him.

The sound that emerged from her throat was sharp, gasping. The pillow was yanked to her chest. Shaking, she buried her face in the soft material. Closing her eyes, with the pillow against her stomach and his smell surrounding her, she could almost pretend that he had never left. If her imagination was a little better, perhaps she might have been able to pretend that he was coming back.

As the room slowly lit, in that position she remained. The sun was well above the horizon when a sound, sharp and distant, finally roused her. Blinking into consciousness, she lifted her head. The telephone's abrasive din blared through the apartment. Dropping her head back to the pillow, she let it ring. After a long beep, a voice, sharpened over the phone, crackled from the machine.

"Hey Nami – you there?"

Usopp.

Nami listened as the disembodied voice echoed through the apartment.

"It's been a rough couple of days on all of us – ever since – since – well you know." He paused. The machine buzzed in the sudden silence. The buzzing was broken by several sniffs. "Uh, but I know its gotta be even harder for you." Another pause. "You didn't answer yesterday either. You want me to come over?" The next pause was even longer. "You know what, Luffy and I are gonna stop by later." He cleared his throat. "So, uh, expect us in a bit. We'll get through this Nami. All of us."

A click sounded and the machine went quiet. After Usopp's sharp voice, the apartment's silence felt unnatural – stifling. Nami rolled. She blinked up at the ceiling. Maybe she should go somewhere. But where? Her shop? The café? The park? She dropped an arm over her eyes. How could she go anywhere when each place held memories of him? Not that here was much better.

Lifting her arm, Nami's gaze drifted over the cluttered room. Jackets, much too large for her hung by the door. Fencing swords had been propped by the dresser. The arm dropped back over her eyes.

Four years. Four years ago she'd met him, dragging him into all of their lives. She supposed it really wasn't all that long ago – but it felt like forever. She clenched her hand, the cool metal around her finger dug against her skin. So much had happened. She swallowed. Tears burned hot, hidden within the crook of her arm. But there was still so much that had _yet_ to happen – so much that they were going to do.

And then the apartment was loud again, filled once more with the phone's repetitious blare. The voice that followed the beep was deep, steady. Sanji.

"Nami-san? Nami? If you're there – I – well I just wanted to make sure you were okay." A heavy breath sounded over the machine. His voice shook. "Those bastards, they shouldn't have told you like that. Broken the news over the phone. I'd like to-" He abruptly cut off. "Right, not important. Nami? If you're there, please call me back. I'm worried. I can make you something – anything you want. Just say the word." Another pause. "I'm here for you – we all are."

The machine cut off with a click. The apartment was even quieter than before. The ceiling still occupied her vision. She probably should have taken Sanji up on his offer. Truthfully, she wasn't sure when she'd last eaten. But even so, she couldn't find the energy to rouse herself from bed.

Two days ago – It had been two days since she'd learned the soldier she'd sent off to war was never coming home. Just before she'd gotten the call, she'd been laughing with Luffy and Usopp. Now for the life of her, she couldn't remember what could have possibly been so funny. It seemed a lifetime ago.

No more than a minute after the last call, the phone again erupted in noise. Nami warily turned her head towards to untouched handset. Maybe they were coordinating their beep was followed by Robin's even voice.

"Hello Nami. Usopp tells me you're not answering his calls." Though seemingly collected, the older woman's voice held an unsteady timbre. "The pain you are feeling must be immense. I understand the need to be alone, at least for a while. Which is why I felt I should tell you that Usopp and Luffy are currently on their way to your apartment." She paused. "When you're ready, I will come. Or come to my apartment when you feel up for it – you still have a key. You don't have to mourn Zoro's loss alone."

By the time the machine clicked. Nami was already rolling from the bed. Whether it was his name, sounding almost absurd in Robin's even tone, or the prospect of friends coming over who she wasn't quite ready to face, Nami knew that she needed to leave. Tugging on a jacket and shuffling into her shoes, Nami barely paused to tie her messy hair in a ponytail before hurrying towards the door.

With her house keys in hand and a purse slung over her shoulder, she slipped through the door. Taking the stairs outside her apartment two by two, she shoved her hands into her jacket pockets as she turned down the sidewalk. Taking quick steps, she rapidly put distance between herself and the apartment. It wasn't until she had traveled several blocks that her shoulders finally loosened.

Nami sighed. Her breath fogged in the crisp morning air. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with her friends – she did. But she wasn't ready. Right now she felt like a glass figurine; one which harbored a spindly fracture at the core of its thick glass. If she saw her friends now, was faced with their sad eyes and sympathetic words – she imagined the fracture splintering, her body of glass crackling as the fissures raced from her core to her limbs and she at long last broke into pieces.

Nami hunched her shoulders - as if protecting the invisible fracture she had imagined within herself. She would go to them soon – just not yet. First she needed – she needed – Nami shoved her hands deeper into her pockets. She didn't know what she needed. Maybe she'd eventually figure it out.

Head ducked down, she wandered until the sun, climbing higher in the sky, warmed her shoulders and back. Shrugging off her jacket, she looked up, and froze. Her heartbeat sounded loud in her ears. Suddenly it was hard to breathe. Of all the places her feet could have carried her. _This_ place, which carried perhaps the most poignant memories of them all. The café was busy. The "OPEN" sign glowed bright in the window.

Between blinks, disjointed memories of the time they had spent together in this place flashed fast. Him leaning over the table. Holding her hand as he lead her into the shop. His cheeks flushing red as he offered to buy her a drink. She spreading a map over the table, he tracing the lines with his fingers. A quick turn, a curse, and hot coffee drenching the floor and their feet –

Nami stumbled back. Clenching her eyes, she continued backpedaling. He was gone. It repeated, a horrific mantra in her head. The memories that the shop and the rest of the city held suddenly seemed a cruel joke. With the "OPEN" sign glowing bright in her vision, she took another step back – into nothing.

With the last step her heel had edged over the curb. Even as she flailed, her foot slipped. As she fell back, a horn blared. Tires squealed. The "OPEN" signed flickered once. The squealing was piercing; it was at her ear. The world was unimaginably loud. It erupted in brightness and she felt everything; then nothing at all.

The end of nothingness was heralded by a beep. And then another. And another. The beeps continued, even and uninterrupted. When she opened her eyes, the room's white walls were blinding. Beside the bed, a line sluggishly zigzagged across a monitor. She blinked curiously up at it. It was keeping time with the beeps.

And then a woman was there. Her coat was whiter than the walls. And then a man. They spoke to her. Asked her questions. The man flicked on a light. She flinched when it flashed in her eyes. They asked more questions. Perhaps she wasn't answering them right. The man and the woman looked to one another once and then began scribbling on clip boards.

But she was tired – and the woman lifted a syringe – injecting its contents into a long cord. Belatedly she realized the cord was attached to her arm. And then she was really tired. The room was fuzzy. Nothingness returned.

The next time, the nothingness was broken by voices. Struggling to emerge from its viscous depths, she worked to make sense of them.

"Nami-san…Can't stand to see her like this."

"Head injury…affected her memory…five years…gone."

"…get it back?…"

"…depends on the case…may or may not…"

For some time the nothingness won, and she was dragged back to its thick depths. But eventually the voices roused her once more. Still struggling to awaken, her mind couldn't fully comprehend their words.

"…before…was in so much pain…couldn't even leave her house…"

"Not remembering…it might be a blessing in this case…"

"…we can't do this, guys…not right…"

"For her own good…You want to be the one to tell her? Make her go through losing him again?"

"…if she remembers….deal with it then…"

"…Just want her to be happy…"

When she finally broke free of the nothingness, the room was quiet. Blinking, the hospital room came into focus. The previously pristine room was now crowded with people. Sprawled over the chairs and the floor, they slept in varying states of disarray. Sitting up, her eyes traveled over the group. Luffy, Sanji, Usopp, Robin, Franky, Brook, Chopper, and – Nami smiled – Nojiko was here too. She must have flown in. Blinking drowsily she leaned back into the bed. They were all here.

Frowning, she raised a hand to her head. Her fingers traced thick bandages. Come to think of it – why was she here in the first place? Absently feeling the bandage, she thought back – and came up with nothing. It was disconcerting to realize that she had absolutely no idea how she had come to be here. It must have been some kind of accident – but what?

With a frustrated sigh, she dropped back to the pillow. Surely it would come back to her eventually. If not, one of her friends surely knew. Certainly Robin at least – as her roommate - maybe she was even there when it happened.

Lulled by methodical beeps, her eyelids began to droop. It irked her to not remember – but it helped that they were here. Soothed with the knowledge that all of her closest friends were nearby, Nami allowed her eyes to drop closed. Surely, when she next awoke, they would tell her.

* * *

And the plot thickens XD thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: One Piece does not belong to me.

Thank you for all of your lovely reviews! Here's the next chapter :)

Chapter 3:

* * *

" _Took you long enough to finally ask me on a date."_

 _The half-eaten sandwich slipped between his fingers. Fumbling, he barely managed to catch his lunch before it fell. Nami's laughter filled the air. Bits of lettuce littered the grass._

 _Across from him, the orange-haired woman stretched across the grass. Chin perched on her palm, she grinned at his discomfort._

 _Zoro chomped down on his lunch, buying himself some time. Sure – he had invited her out here because he wanted to get to know her better. And it was true – he did like her. But a date? Wasn't that supposed to involve dinner and a movie or… something?_

 _She must have sensed his confusion; or else he really was transparent._

 _Laughing again, she shook her head. "Idiot – a picnic counts as a date!"_

 _He paused, swallowing down the mouthful of food. "Since when?"_

 _She rolled onto her back with a groan. From beneath orange bangs, brown eyes stared up at him. "Since forever."_

 _Caught in the breeze, the branches above them shifted. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling over her hair and illuminating the light freckles that dusted her nose. His lunch lay forgotten in his lap as he watched the light play over her features._

 _She brushed back her bangs and winked. "I've always thought they were romantic."_

 _He swallowed._

 _Well then. This was a date._

 _He glanced down at their lunch. If he'd known, he would have brought something besides deli-made sandwiches._

* * *

"So what you're telling me is, she has no memory of the last five years." He paused for emphasis. " _And you didn't tell her about me?"_

Usopp pressed a hand to his head as he paced the room. "Dude, would you listen to me? _You were dead._ " His hand slid down his face as he heaved a heavy sigh. "That's what they told us anyway."

"Oh – good plan. I died so you guys might as well just forget me for good." Fuming, he rose.

Two heavy hands on his shoulders pushed him back into his seat. "Let me finish. It wasn't my idea in the first place-"

"Whose idea was it then?"

Usopp heaved another sigh as he turned his gaze to the ceiling. Somehow Zoro knew he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Sanji's."

Zoro surged to his feet. "Dart-board brow?! I'm gonna-"

The hands reprised their position on his shoulders. His feet slipping over smooth wood, Usopp struggled to push him back down again. "God damn it Zoro, let me finish!"

Scowling, he dropped reluctantly back down. The wooden chair squeaked beneath him. Zoro's hands clenched into fists. Of course it was Sanji's idea. The asshole was always pining over Nami anyway.

Folding his arms, Usopp leaned back against the desk. Nami's desk.

During the morning's commotion, Usopp had come, and then Robin. Right away, he'd been bombarded by two tight hugs. Nami had looked on in shock, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Pulling away, Usopp and Robin had shared a single, communicative glance. Usopp had pushed him into a chair as Robin pulled a confused Nami out of the shop – back to Nami's apartment, Usopp had later explained.

Shrugging, Usopp looked down. "It was Sanji's idea – but we all agreed to it. Some more reluctantly than others. But eventually, we all decided it was the best option."

The room was silent. Hands on his knees, Zoro stared. His chest ached. He was surprised how much it hurt, knowing that they had all agreed to omit him from her history.

"It wasn't easy Zoro." Usopp's shoulders drooped. He seemed to sag against the desk.

"But you weren't here – you didn't see her. When they called and told her that you were lost, that you had-" He hesitated. "-that you had died. I saw it all. She just stood there – empty. She couldn't say anything, even talk to tell us what had happened. I had to take the phone from her, hear the news for myself." Usopp swallowed. "I was still on the phone when she dropped. Her legs just folded. Luckily Luffy was there too. He caught her. But I'll never forget how she looked, just hanging there, limp in his arms. Her eyes – they were empty. She was looking at us, but it was like-" He shook his head. "- like all the light in her had been snuffed out."

Zoro was frozen. Pinpricks of pain flared along his legs. Flexing his fingers, he loosed his grip on his knees. His knuckles were while. He closed his eyes; saw her bright eyes, her wide, teasing smile. He couldn't imagine her any differently.

"She didn't cry in front of us; but we knew she cried. She saved it for when there was no one around to see her. She didn't eat, wouldn't leave her apartment. We were worried. We had just lost you – and crazy as it sounds – we felt like we were losing her too."

Usopp took a slow breath. "It couldn't have been more than a few days after the call, when it happened. She stepped in front of a car."

Zoro's head snapped up. The way Usopp said it, "You make it sound like-"

Usopp's hands clenched the side of the desk. "We don't know." He bowed his head. "She can't remember. The driver of the car was texting. He looked up in time to see her in the street."

Zoro's extremities felt cold. Numb fingers re-gripped his knees. "She wouldn't have."

"I didn't want to think so either – I still don't. But when we got the call, and arrived to find her hooked up to a monitor, unconscious in the hospital – it scared the crap out of all of us."

"How long?"

"A week. She didn't wake up for a week. And when she finally did, they told us five years – were just gone. The doctors didn't know if she would ever get them back. They still don't."

Zoro leaned back in his chair. It was surreal; something out of a dream – or a nightmare. Nami wasn't supposed to lose her smile, they weren't supposed to think that he was dead, and he certainly wasn't supposed to be forgotten – by her of all people. But most of all, she wasn't supposed to be hurt, to lose five precious years, just like that.

"In the hospital, standing around the bed, that was when Sanji suggested it. Let her forget. Save her from going through all that pain again." Usopp's gaze had returned to the floor. "At first I was against it. Most of us were. But then he asked us 'which one of you wants to tell her?'" Usopp swallowed. "And I think that was when it hit home. We were going to show her pictures of some guy she didn't know, try to explain to her that she'd loved him, and _then_ explain that he was dead. That sounds pretty bad right?" His friend shook his head. "Well Sanji gave us a worse alternative. What if we showed her pictures and it triggered her memories? I could only imagine the light returning to her eyes as she remembered you, only to watch her break all over again when she realized you were gone."

Zoro slumped forward. When he put it like that-

Folding his arms, he studied the floor with his friend.

"I'm not saying it was right. But we had just lost you. We were practically falling apart as it was. We-" He paused. "We just didn't want her to hurt anymore."

"Don't get me wrong, when you called and I heard your voice, alive and well – I've never been happier." As he spoke, Usopp rubbed at his head. His lips finally cracked in a slow smile. "You coming back, _alive_ after all this time. I don't want to be overly optimistic, but it feels like everything is starting to turn around again."

Zoro was unprepared for the smack that landed against the side of his head. "But why the hell didn't you listen to me? I was going to explain everything, figure out a way to tell her gently. But no, you just had to come here first!"

Zoro glared, rubbing the side of his head. "Maybe you could have explained _why_ I was supposed to come see you first. Your vagueness just freaked me out. I thought something was wrong. Of course I came to see her!"

"Because something _was_ wrong! That's precisely why-" Usopp cut himself off, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Regardless – do you at least understand why we didn't tell her?"

Zoro's gaze wandered over the shop. Colorful maps filled his vision. His eyes settled on one in particular. Rich blues and greens colored the paper. It was accented with gold. She'd made it with him. It had been an adventure, finding the small island just off the coast. They'd explored the rugged terrain together. Somehow the crazy woman had gotten it in her head that there might even be buried treasure out there.

And she didn't remember any of it. She didn't remember him.

His heart beat a slow, painful rhythm against his ribs. He didn't like that they hadn't told her about him. In fact, the idea that all of the time they had spent together – to her – was lost; it made his stomach twist in a painful not. But worse yet, was imagining her as Usopp had described – empty, with hollow, blank eyes. He didn't like it, but he understood why they hadn't told her.

But he was back now. And if he could help it, he'd never let the light fade from her eyes again. The chair creaked as he stood. "I'm going to see her."

He was stopped by a hand on his arm. "She's back at her – er, your guys' – apartment. Robin's with her. She's, well, she's explaining what happened."

Zoro shrugged off the hand. "Then I should be there."

"Nami should really hear it from someone she knows. And I know it hurts to hear this, but right now she doesn't know you Zoro. To her, you're the creepy guy who came in the shop and tried to grab her."

Halfway to the door, Zoro froze. Usopp was right. And it did hurt.

Usopp continued, relentless. "I promise, Robin's telling Nami everything, probably as we speak. But imagine how traumatic this is for her. She's going to need time and space to wrap her head around this."

Everything Usopp was saying made sense. It really did. But even so – Zoro's heart constricted with a painful thump as he backed away from the door. After being away for a year, he wanted to be with her – he wanted it more than anything. Zoro clenched his hands as he took another step back. When the back of his heels struck wood, he fell back, sitting heavily upon the desk.

Suddenly he felt selfish. What must she be going through? She'd awoken after a terrible accident, only to be told that the last five years had been lost in a long week of unconsciousness. And now – Robin was telling her that a complete stranger, the man who'd seemingly assaulted her, was her longtime boyfriend and fiancé. Zoro let his head drop forward. Chin resting against his chest, he blew out a long breath. As hard as this was for him, it had to be ten times more difficult for her.

"When?"

At his question, Usopp looked up. He lifted his phone, giving it a slight wave. "Robin's going to call me after they've talked." He shrugged. "If things go well, maybe tonight. We'll just have to see."

Zoro nodded. Folding his hands, he leaned forward, settling in a more comfortable seat. He would wait. Of course he would wait. She had waited a year for him to come home.

So he sat back, looking over her maps once more. For her, he was prepared to wait as long as it took.

* * *

"We kept it from you because we wished to protect you from further pain." Robin's voice was gentle, her tone soothing.

Nami's hands shook. The glossy paper quivered between her fingers. Her own image smiled up at her. The green haired guy – Zoro – stood behind her. His tanned arms wrapped around her. Her extended hand occupied the foreground of the picture; a glittering ring perched proudly on her finger.

Nami's heart fluttered erratically in her chest. She was vaguely aware that Robin was still speaking, but the thudding in her ears drowned out her friend's words. Pressing the picture into her lap, she attempted to steady the image. Bending forward, she squinted down at it. Their clothes were wet. Tables and chairs occupied the background. There was a glowing sign in the window. Nami frowned. It was the coffee shop – the one just down the street.

It was surreal; like the woman in the picture was a completely different person staring back at her. When in the last five years had this taken place? Nami closed her eyes. Clenching her jaw, she strained to remember. With all of her might, she tried to think back.

Nothing.

She remembered she'd opened her shop. Events that had taken place five years ago seemed nothing more than a few weeks in the past.

Nami looked back to the picture. The man – Zoro. They'd been engaged. Shaking fingers touched his image. Certainly, in the picture she looked happy. But who was he? Was he funny? Nice? How had they met? Robin said that she loved him. But had she really? How could she know if she didn't remember a single moment they'd spent together? Shuddering, Nami's grip on the photo loosened. The glossy paper slid between her fingers, fluttering silently to the floor.

"I don't know him. We were engaged, and I have no idea who he is."

"Perhaps if you talk to him, some of it will start to come back."

As she stared down at the image hot tears burned her eyes. It was terrible, the knowledge that this man, who had seemingly been such a large part of her life, was erased from her memory. Gone. But perhaps, worse, was the steps they'd taken to hide this this past from her.

"You lied to me. All of you."

"Nami – no."

"Oh so when I woke up and you guys filled me in on the last five years, you just happened to forget to mention _that_?" She jabbed her finger at the picture.

"We had no idea that the report of his death was false. We just wanted to spare you-"

"Spare me from what? Phantom memories? How much of the past five years did you edit out because he was in it?"

Robin's voice was strained, but even. "Please Nami, I didn't come here to fight. We were trying to do what was right at the time."

Nami pressed her face into her hands. It didn't make any sense. What had possessed them to lie to her about something as significant as this? Furthermore, why did they suddenly act like she needed protecting? She spoke between her palms. "Do I really seem so weak?"

"Oh Nami, no."

"Then why?" Nami's hands dropped from her face. When she spoke, her voice was low, quiet. "You know about Bell-mere. You guys really thought I couldn't handle the news of death?"

Robin stilled. Her eyes flicked away from her. "Of course not. But you had just suffered a traumatic injury. We thought it best not to burden you further."

Nami watched her, attention rapt. Robin had hesitated. It hadn't been more than a second. But it was enough for Nami to be sure; there was something she wasn't telling her. Her chest felt cold. They hadn't told her about this man Zoro because they'd thought to spare her from news of his death. What else could they possibly be keeping from her?

But rather than argue further, Nami pushed this piece of information to the back of her mind. She would look into that particular mystery later.

For now, "How?"

Robin slowly nodded. "While you were in the hospital Sanji, Franky, and I came back here. We collected pictures, clothes, trinkets. I have it all. If you'd like, I'll bring it back tomorrow."

Nami numbly nodded. How much of her life was currently tucked away in Robin's apartment?

"Anything we missed, we simply made up a story to explain."

Nami snapped up. "The jacket?" Half a week ago she'd found a large jacket that had fallen behind her dresser. They had said that she'd had a short fling with a man from out of state – they'd claimed to not remember his name.

Robin nodded. "It's one of his."

Jumping up, Nami made a beeline for her room. After digging through her hamper, she pulled the jacket up, triumphant. It was brown, with heavy lining. Nami ran her fingers across the worn material. It was like a hint – a tiny clue about the mysterious man in the picture. Hesitantly, she lifted the material. Pressing her nose against the fabric, she took a tentative sniff. For sitting in her hamper the past few days it didn't smell bad. There was the faint smell of – something. Nami closed her eyes, trying to parse out the scents.

"Bringing anything back?"

Flushing, Nami peeked up from the material. Robin leaned against the door.

"No. I was trying to figure out what it smelled like."

"Zoro I imagine."

"Yeah, but I don't know what exactly that is."

Robin hesitated. She looked between her and the jacket. "Would you like to talk to him? He's still at your shop with Usopp."

Did she? Carefully, she folded the jacket in her arms. Looking up, she met Robin's eyes. "Robin, did he make me happy?"

When she smiled, it reached her eyes. "Yes, I believe he did."

Nodding, Nami looked to the jacket in her hands. Pale fingers clenched the fabric. "Okay. I'll talk to him."

* * *

So much angst...hehe I love it.

Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: One Piece does not belong to me.

Thank you so so much for the lovely reviews! Hope you enjoy chapter 4!

Chapter 4:

* * *

 _The morning air was cool. The beginnings of a blustery breeze nipped at any extremities unfortunate enough to be left bare before it. It was only late September, but if the morning was any indication, the city had decided to skip fall altogether, and instead had moved straight to winter._

 _Drawing his shoulders up, Zoro attempted to shield his ears. It didn't work. Frowning, he shifted from foot to foot while he waited. In contrast to his face, which was feeling more frozen by the minute, his hands were quite warm. Steam rose from the to-go coffee mugs held in each hand. Wrapping his thumbs around the drinks, he flexed his fingers in turn._

 _The sign in the window behind him glowed bright. Its glow colored the sidewalk and his shoes in shades of red and blue. Glancing over his shoulder, he observed the small café. As of yet, there were only a few customers queued up waiting for their drinks. But it was still early; in a half an hour it'd likely be as crowded as the day they met._

" _Zoro?"_

 _He turned quickly at her voice. He thanked quick reflexes and a steady hand for maintaining a hold on the drinks._

 _Nami was bundled in a thick coat. She'd wrapped a scarf several times around her neck; its long ends were stuffed down the front of her jacket. Rosy cheeks peeked out from the crocheted material. Tugging the scarf down, she tucked it beneath her chin._

 _With the scarf down, he was able to see her friendly, if not somewhat confused smile._

 _Right. The coffee._

" _Coffee. For you." He pushed the mug forward with a jerk._

 _Nami jumped back as several drops of hot liquid splatted the pavement between them._

 _With a flush, he steadied the cup._

 _Despite his embarrassment – or perhaps in spite of it – Nami's smile widened. Cool fingers brushed his as she carefully retrieved the mug from his grasp. "Careful. We don't want a repeat of our first meeting." She winked and took a sip._

 _Zoro felt his flush deepen, but she had already resumed speaking._

" _Caramel latte with an extra shot of espresso?"_

 _He nodded._

 _Bright eyes stared at him over the top of the drink. "Impressive memory."_

" _You left an impression."_

 _And then she was smiling again._

 _Admittedly, he hadn't known her that long – apart from the "date" in the park. But he was already making a list. 'Things that make Nami smile'. Because, though he hadn't known her more than a few weeks, he'd already decided that her smile really was a nice thing to see. He made a mental note to add this one to it._

" _So what brought this on?"_

 _He shrugged, taking a gulp of his own beverage. It burned. Wincing, he grinned. "I'm running a training camp not far from here. Thought I could walk you to work."_

 _He watched her expression._

 _Her eyes flicked down as she held the drink against her chest. And there it was. Her lips curved up as her eyes rose to meet his. "Alright." She brushed past him. "It's this way."_

 _Before he'd had a chance to move, cool fingers touched his hand. As she pulled him forward, her fingers intertwined with his own. "Wouldn't want you to get lost." She grinned over her shoulder as her hand squeezed._

 _Before he could protest, she tugged him forward. Cursing, he righted his drink as they wound their way through the crowd._

* * *

Two short knocks rapped against the door.

Robin stood.

Nami could only watch, hands pressed between her knees as her friend approached the door. She turned the knob with a twist and the door swung open.

He was standing in the doorway. With hands shoved in his pockets, he greeted the woman before him with a curt nod. As he leaned to glance around her, Robin turned; Nami felt her questioning gaze.

"Shall I wait outside?"

They answered at once.

"No."

"Yes."

Nami flushed. The 'no' had emerged from her lips, instinctual. She'd hoped that having Robin around would make the meeting less awkward.

Robin hesitated in the doorway, looking between them.

Zoro's head was bent. But now he glanced up. Beneath furrowed brows, his eyes were intent upon her.

Nami swallowed, forcibly extricated her hands from their pinched position between her knees. She could do this. She'd known this man, maybe even loved him – she just didn't remember it.

"It's okay Robin. You can wait outside – as long as it's not too cold."

Robin smiled. "Not to worry, I brought a jacket. Besides, is Usopp out there? He could use some company."

Zoro nodded, but Robin had already slipped past him and through the door.

As the sound of her descending steps faded, silence seemed to press in, eager to fill the space of her absence.

Zoro moved first. Stepping fully into the apartment, he pulled the door shut behind him. It closed with a soft click. The sound broke the spell.

"Hi."

The single syllable, spoken in his deep voice, seemed to fill the room.

"Hello."

Her answer was automatic.

He stood there for another moment, awkwardly shifting his weight. Pushing herself from the couch, she rose. She had to do something.

Crossing the room she held out her hand. "Nice to meet you – er – again."

At first he didn't move.

Her hand dangled awkwardly between them.

At last, he moved. Tan fingers wrapped around her hand. His palm was warm against hers.

When she pulled back, for a second, his fingers tightened around the back of her hand. But by the next, they were gone. He gripped the edge of his jacket instead.

Standing before him, she felt his gaze upon her. His eyes flicked back and forth, moving over her face. Nami shifted uncomfortably beneath the intensity of his gaze. When his eyes met hers, she looked away.

It was too much. The way he looked at her, like… she struggled for an adequate comparison. When she chanced a glance up, and once more met his gaze, she realized what it was. He looked at her the way a man starved of light looks at a sunrise. She looked away. What in the world had she done to make him look at her like that?

When he finally spoke, his voice was low and hoarse; he spoke with an intensity to match his gaze.

"You really don't remember? Me? Us? Anything?"

His words were pained. His voice – desperate.

She swallowed, still avoiding his gaze. "I'm sorry. I can't remember – anything."

She felt him move. The wood squeaked beneath his boots.

"Nami."

When he spoke, he was close enough to touch. His breath brushed her forehead.

She didn't want to look, she really didn't. But he spoke her name again, in that same quiet, desperate tone. Foregoing her next breath, she lifted her head.

Sharp creases indented the gap between his brows. His gaze, sharp and unyielding, was still fixed upon her. Between parted lips, he breathed a slow breath as he watched her.

So focused was she on his face that she didn't notice the movement of his hand. Warm fingers brushed the side of her face. The pads of his fingers were rough against her skin, but his touch was gentle. As his fingers traced across her cheek, he breathed her name.

She jerked back.

His hand dropped away.

Holding a hand to her face, she stared. Fingers working over the area he had touched, she watched him, as her stomach alternatively flipped and twisted in knots. His touch had felt – nice. But she didn't _know_ him. At least she didn't remember knowing him.

Roughly clearing his throat, he took several swift steps back. "God, sorry. Probably freaking you out all over again."

She watched, entranced, as he turned a quick circle. Blinking quickly, he rubbed a hand over his eyes. As he tilted his head, looking up at the ceiling, his hand rose to scratch roughly over his head.

"Damn it. I just thought – _hoped_ – coming here might make you remember."

"I tried." She really had. For the better part of the evening before he'd arrived she'd stared at that picture, trying to force the smallest memory to return. For all her effort, she'd gotten nothing.

He nodded sharply. "I know."

He paced to the door and back. She didn't move.

When he was on his second pace, she spoke. "What will we do?"

At her question, he froze. He answered without pause. "I'll wait for you to remember."

Nami's heart thudded dully in her chest. Her next question came out quieter than the last. "What if I never remember?"

Somewhere in the city a horn blared.

Zoro's gaze flicked to the ground, then back at her. His voice was low, determined. "Then I'll wait for you to fall in love with me all over again."

For a moment, she couldn't speak. He seemed so sure, certain. "But you know me – you've known me all this time. And I-" she hesitated, "I don't know you at all."

The horn blared again.

And then he was nodding. Dipping his head, he met her gaze. "My name is Roronoa Zoro. I'm enlisted in the army. I work with the new soldiers, training them up. I used to fence in college. I don't like to admit it, but I have a terrible sense of direction. I like taking naps. I'm competitive. Sometimes I get jealous, especially when it comes to you. But you were always good at talking sense into me."

He paused long enough to suck in a breath. "And I love you."

Nami couldn't move. She received his confession with parted lips and wide eyes.

But he didn't wait for her reply. "And I know hearing that freaks you out because right now you don't know me, and if there's anything you hate, it's feeling out of control. But please don't run, try to push me out, because I know that's crossed your mind too."

Nami's mouth slowly closed. He was right, it had crossed her mind. When she had felt his eyes on her, been faced with the intensity of his gaze, she'd wondered if it wouldn't be easier to drop whatever remained of what they'd had, and not go through the painstaking process of picking up so many shattered pieces. It was so much – _too much_ – pressure, knowing that he loved her and that he was waiting, hoping for her to eventually love him back.

"Nami."

Her name. It sounded so different, spoken by him, in that tone. She looked up, meeting his eyes.

"Please."

It was as if he could see right through her. Somehow, he knew exactly the direction her thoughts had turned.

He lifted a hand, reaching toward her, before his arm dropped back down, heavy at his side. He spoke, repeating the plea. "Please. Let me spend time with you. And please, give yourself a chance to get to know me again." Swallowing, he looked to the floor, then back at her. "I promise, we'll take things slow. I won't pressure you or anything. I just-" He took a breath. "I just ask that you give this a chance."

Nami watched him, half-aware of the heavy thudding in her chest. She didn't know him, it was true. But the way that he looked at her, the feel of his fingers brushing over her face – it made something in her stomach flip. Maybe – just maybe, there was _something_.

She swallowed, wetting her parched tongue. She was nodding before she spoke. "Alright."

* * *

Zoro's boots thumped down the stairs. The night air was sharp against his face. It was bittersweet. She didn't remember him – felt the same towards him as she did toward any random stranger. His stomach twisted with every heavy step. But – she wasn't going to run. She was going to try – try to get to know him again. Zoro turned his face up as he stepped down the last several stairs. Stars flickered in the spaces between dark, invisible clouds. She was going to try. That was certainly something.

"How'd it go?"

Usopp.

His friend was perched on the curve. Robin leaned against a lightpost beside him.

"She doesn't remember anything."

Robin and Usopp nodded, as if they'd expected as much.

"But she's going to try to get to know me again."

At that, Robin smiled. "That certainly is good news. I can only imagine how incredibly overwhelming this is for her. It's a good sign that she's willing to try to know you again."

Usopp looked up from his spot on the curb. "And who knows, maybe deep down, she still feels something for you."

Zoro shrugged, looking back at the sky. He didn't want to hope for too much. It was enough that she was letting him back in her life; enough that she was going to try to get to know him again. Breath escaped his lips; it rose as a billow of steam before dissipating in the night.

"Zoro!" The shout broke the stillness of the otherwise quiet evening.

Before he could turn, a body struck him. His torso was squeezed in a backbreaking hug as laughter blared against his ear. He'd know that laugh anywhere.

"I knew you weren't dead!"

Squinting, Zoro pulled back, attempting to extricate himself from Luffy's hug.

Luffy dropped back with a wide grin. "It's good you're back. We all missed you Zoro."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Zoro looked away. "Yeah, yeah. Everyone but Nami." He glanced up at the glowing apartment window above them.

"She might not remember you, but she missed you Zoro. I could tell."

He turned away from the window with a frown.

"She doesn't smile like she used to. Maybe now that you're back, she'll really smile again."

Zoro looked back at the window once more.

Robin shifted from her spot against the pole. "Speaking of, I think I'll check on her now." She gave them a nod. "If you leave before I'm back, goodnight."

On the first step she paused, looking over her shoulder. "And Zoro, we truly are lucky to have you back with us." Her steps clicked as she climbed the remaining stairs.

It wasn't until the door closed behind her that the thought occurred to him. "I don't have any place to stay."

For the better part of the last couple of years, he and Nami had lived together. He certainly wouldn't be able to move back in now.

Dusting the back of his legs, Usopp stood. "Come on. You can stay with us."

Luffy grinned, nodding. "I came to pick Usopp up anyway."

Zoro glanced at Luffy from the corner of his eyes. "You drove?"

Usopp spoke over his shoulder. "He got his license, finally, in the year that you were gone."

Zoro blinked, trying to imagine Luffy behind the wheel of anything. "I see."

Usopp held out his hand. Luffy tossed him the keys with a pout.

Usopp jingled the keys in his hand as he turned the corner. "However, I'm driving us back. Personally, I don't feel like having a heart attack on our way home tonight."

Laughing, Luffy followed after him. He'd taken several steps before he looked over his shoulder. "You coming?"

Zoro forcibly pulled his gaze away from the bright window above him. She'd be here tomorrow. He could wait, and he would. As long as it took.

Nodding, he turned away. "Coming."

As his steps slapped over the pavement, he forced himself not to look back.

* * *

Just some low-key angst for your reading pleasure ;) Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: One Piece does not belong to me.

Thank you for all of your nice reviews! I truly appreciate them!

This chapter's a bit longer :) Hope you like it!

Chapter 5:

* * *

 _Cool wind ruffled the collar of his coat. The air, damp and chill, left the tang of salt upon his tongue._

 _Spots of light dotted the horizon. The flames, corralled in round pits, seemed to flicker in time with each guttural crash; the unmistakable sound of waves rolling upon the shore._

 _The hand pressed against his palm was warm. The fingers, intertwined with his own, squeezed, urging him forward._

" _Don't freak out. They're going to love you, I swear."_

 _Sand kicked up with each step. His irritation increased with every grain that streamed down the back of his shoes._

 _He wasn't freaking out. Not really._

 _He frowned, watching the orange glow that loomed ahead of them. Just – did he really have to meet all of her friends right now? All at once?_

" _You're in the army." Warm light flickered over her features as she raised her hand. She lifted two fingers, counting, as she spoke. "You've fired a gun. With those two facts alone, you've already won over half of them."_

 _He trudged forward with a snort. Tugging her closer, he approached the flames._

 _Around the bonfire, he could make out several huddled shapes. When they were close enough to get a whiff of the dry, acrid smoke, a head popped up. A slim figure jumped up; his waving arms were silhouetted against the flame._

" _Nami! Over here!"_

 _As the sharp voice carried over the beach, the arms waved again, emphasizing his position._

" _We see you Luffy." Nami said, her voice dry._

 _As they entered the ring of light, Zoro was finally able to make out the figures surrounding the fire. The guy standing up had dark hair – and the biggest smile he'd ever seen. Kind of creepy, really._

 _Beside him, a guy was stretched out, his legs crossed before the fire. He noticed a bushy head of hair before his eyes were drawn to his face – and the longest nose he'd ever seen._

" _Nami! Your friend is tall!"_

 _It was the person on Luffy's other side who'd spoken – a boy with curly brown hair. The boy stared at him with wide, excited eyes._

 _Next to the kid was a blond guy – with a curly eyebrow._

 _Zoro's lips twitched. It took all the willpower he possessed to force the twitching corners of his lips down._

 _He could not laugh. Whatever he did, he could_ not _laugh._

 _He was pretty sure Nami's friend wouldn't give him the warmest welcome if their introduction consisted of him laughing at his weird eyebrow._

 _However, blondie's lips had already tugged down, and even though he'd managed not to laugh at the guy's ridiculous eyebrow, Zoro still found himself at the receiving end of a dark glare._

 _What the hell?_

 _But the woman seated beside eyebrow guy was already speaking._

" _So this is the Zoro we've heard so much about?"_

 _Twisting to look up at them, the dark haired woman gave him a friendly smile._

 _Relieved, Nami smiled back. "Yep!"_

 _Forcing his lips to turn up, he awkwardly nodded to the strangers around the fire._

" _Don't just stand there, come join the party bro!"_

 _It was the bulky guy who had spoken. Looking over his shoulder, he patted the sand beside him._

 _To give them room, the big guy scooted to the side. As he did so, he slung an arm over the dark-haired woman's shoulders._

 _Curly-brow's glare moved from Zoro to the big guy – but both he and the dark haired woman seemed oblivious to it._

 _As Nami settled in, smoothing out the towel beneath her, the man at her right leaned over. His hair was styled in an afro and he smiled at Nami with a wide, toothy grin._

 _Afro man's eyebrows lifted as he spoke. "Before I forget, Nami, may I see your panties?"_

 _Zoro's head jerked up as his lips pulled back in a snarl. He was ready to tell this guy that_ no, _he could not see his girlfriend's underwear – and that he'd damn well give him_ something _to see_ -

 _But Nami acted first. Fist raised, she knocked the side of afro-guy's head – hard._

 _Slumping to the side, he moaned. "Maybe next time then."_

 _Zoro looked between them, mouth open._

 _Nami's cheeks flushed red at his stare. "Brook does that every once in a while. You just have to knock some sense into him."_

 _Zoro looked back and forth between her red face and the small, fisted hand she still held in the air. Clearing his throat, he spoke. "You pack a decent punch."_

 _She grinned, even as her cheeks flushed a darker red._

 _Across the fire, Luffy cackled in laughter. "She does! I bet you wish someone'd warned you."_

 _Nami's grin abruptly vanished. Her fist tightened as she glared across the flame. "Shall I demonstrate it further?"_

 _His laughter silenced. "Nope." Quickly changing the subject, he nodded towards Zoro. "My name's Luffy. And since I've known Nami the longest – you need my permission to date her."_

 _Nami's mouth dropped open. A split second later, her eyebrows drew together in a dangerous frown. She sucked in a short breath, but the long nosed guy was already speaking._

" _That doesn't mean anything! Nami and I were roommates for_ three years _in college! If anyone gets to approve of her boyfriend, it's me!"_

 _Raising his brows, Zoro glanced at the woman beside him._

 _Mouth still open, Nami rushed to speak. "Purely platonic roommates. Usopp's always been a friend."_

 _The argument continued without them._

 _Standing on his towel, the boy with curly hair shouted to be heard over Luffy and Usopp. "I've known Nami for a larger percent of my life than any of you have! I get to decide on boyfriends!"_

" _Isn't that kid kind of young to be hanging out with you guys?"_

 _Nami leaned toward him, raising her voice to be heard over the shouts. "That's Chopper – he's twelve. He and Luffy are in this program together. Basically, Luffy's his mentor – you know, a big brother deal? He's supposed to give him guidance."_

 _Zoro glanced dubiously at the curly haired kid – Chopper – and his mentor, who was now standing up, shouting back at him._

 _And then a new voice joined the chaos._

" _None of you Neanderthals are qualified to judge who is fit for our beautiful Nami!" Half standing, curly-brow had joined the argument._

 _Zoro found himself frowning, growing more annoyed by the blond guy's attitude by the minute. If he didn't know any better –_

 _Nami squeezed his arm. "Don't worry about Sanji. He's super chivalrous – sometimes he just goes a little overboard. He's harmless though."_

 _Zoro continued to watch the argument with a frown. Maybe he was harmless – but it didn't mean he had to like the guy._

 _It was during a few seconds lull, in which the arguing parties were catching their breath, that a distinctly feminine throat was cleared._

" _If anything, my and Nami's feminine bond of friendship dictates that it is I who gets to make any and all judgments concerning her boyfriend's character."_

 _Nami stared at her dark-haired friend, as if shocked the woman had joined in on the idiocy. "Robin!"_

 _Leaning back, the muscly guy shook his head. "Nah, if anything, we're more like a democracy. I say we vote."_

" _Enough!"_

 _Zoro jumped at the volume of the voice beside his ear._

 _Fire reflected in Nami's eyes as she glared over the flames. "No Franky, this is_ not _a democracy. This is – this is –"She fumbled for words. "This is a dictatorship! The dictatorship of Nami – which means_ I _decide who the hell I'm going to date, and all of_ you _," She swung her hand, gesturing around the fire. "All of you shut up and agree with it – and do your best_ not _to scare him off!"_

 _The fire crackled between them. As Nami panted short, angry breaths, a log shifted. A flurry of sparks floated up into the night._

 _Ever so slowly, her eyes shifted towards him. Shoulders stiff, she hesitated, seemingly waiting for his reaction._

 _He looked between her, panting and red faced, and her friends, whose eyes were down-turned, sporting abashed expressions upon their faces. It was too much – were her friends even real? Was it possible to have a more random assortment of people? And then he was laughing. He couldn't help it. Unable to contain the bubbles of laughter rising from his chest, he let his head fall back. He held a hand to his chest as his loud guffaws echoed loud over the barren sand._

" _Shishishishi!"_

 _Cracking an eye open, he saw that the skinny guy – Luffy – had joined his laughter._

 _As if their combined laughter had broken some spell, shoulders rose and fell around the fire as the rest of the eccentric group joined him in laughing._

 _As he caught his breath, laughter fading, he caught her eye. She was watching him, shoulders relaxed, a small, happy smile on her face. When he reached a hand out, she met it halfway. He felt her hand wrap around his, squeezing, before intertwining her fingers with his own._

 _He glanced around them. Eccentric. That was putting it mildly._

 _With the fire's glow warming his skin and the satisfying pressure of her hand in his own, he looked around the circle, at the grins and eyes bright with laughter._

 _Eccentric wasn't so bad._

 _When long-nosed jumped up, animatedly telling an obviously exaggerated tale, he found his head tilting back as he once again joined their laughter._

 _Maybe eccentric wasn't bad at all. Hell, he was already getting used to it._

* * *

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

He rolled over with a groan.

But the incessant beeps didn't stop, in fact, they were getting louder. Zoro cracked an eye open. Movement was the first thing he registered. Someone was bending over beside him.

 _Nami?_

It was the first name his brain, still foggy with sleep, managed to conjure.

As he blinked in the dim morning light, the figure came into focus. Usopp, clad in sweats, bent beside the couch. When he rose, Zoro's phone in hand, Zoro found himself at the receiving end of a dry stare.

"If you're gonna set an alarm for six in the morning, the _least_ you can do is actually wake up for it." Raising the still blaring phone, Usopp lifted his thumb and pressed it down in an exaggerated motion.

Scratching his head, Zoro sat up in his makeshift bed. Squinting, he looked around the compact apartment, getting his bearings. _Right_. He'd stayed over at Usopp and Luffy's place.

As he fell back against the armrest, he was at the mercy of his memory. The events of the previous day were rapidly returning to him.

Nami. She didn't remember - anything. She'd lost an entire five years. To her, he was a stranger.

Unsurprisingly, the pain in his chest hadn't lessened from the initial revelation. In fact, if anything, it was worse. Every memory of her – of them together – was followed by the gut churning reminder that for her, it was as if it had never happened. Yet still, his mind circled, inexplicably drawn to the memories. After all, they weren't so distant – yet all of them were now tinged with the brutal, unforgivable fact that there was one person, one very important person, with whom they were no longer shared.

Usopp, still standing above him, paused. His bushy-haired friend seemed to sense his melancholic shift in mood.

Sighing, Usopp dropped the phone beside him. "No big deal, I had to be up for work soon anyway. And Luffy – you know he sleeps like the dead." He turned, stretching his arms as he shuffled to the kitchen. "You want coffee?"

Clearing his throat, Zoro shook his head. He'd remembered why he'd set the alarm. He had wanted to go on a run – a long one. To work off… He wasn't sure. Sadness? Anger? Frustration? Maybe all of the above.

He considered himself to be a man of action. Nami'd been hurt – she still was. She was trying to re-adjust to life – a life in which the last five years had disappeared. A life in which, until a day ago, he didn't exist.

And he wanted to fix it; he wanted to fix it more than anything. But it wasn't like he could get the memories back for her. Even if he sat down, tried to explain to her everything that had happened, given her a first-hand account of the important memories – it wouldn't be the same. It would be like telling her the story of a stranger's life, recounting memories that she had no recollection of living.

No. What he should do, _the only thing he could do,_ was be there for her now. Give her the chance to get to know him again. Hope – that with time, she'd fall in love with him again. And beyond that, help her re-adjust to a life in which her friends – and the world – had seemingly aged five years without her.

Which, altogether, was going to involve a lot of waiting.

He was definitely going to need that run. Rubbing a hand over his face, he slowly sat up. Maybe he'd do some lifting too.

"We were thinking we could all get together tonight." Usopp leaned over the counter, coffee cup in hand. "Everyone wants to see you. And besides – it would give you and Nami a chance to hang out. Without it being so awkward."

"Where?"

"I thought maybe Nami's place. You know, make sure she doesn't feel too out of her element."

That made sense. Ruffling through his bag, he dug out a shirt. The fabric was cool to the touch. He spoke as he pulled the shirt over his head. "When are we going?"

"Not sure yet. Sometime tonight though. Maybe around seven."

Zoro nodded, tugging on his shoes. Seven. Maybe he could go a little early. Not too early to make her uncomfortable. Just long enough for him to get a few minutes alone, to talk with her interrupted. He was sure that having everyone there would make things easier – but with that group, he wasn't sure he'd be able to get a word in edgewise either.

He tied the laces with deft fingers.

And if there was any hope of her getting to know him again, he _had_ to find time to talk alone with her.

Settled on a plan, he stood. Usopp still leaned against the counter, bleary-eyed and with his mug of coffee clutched against his chest.

"Don't overdo it."

Zoro raised a brow.

"You workout when you're stressed. Don't overdo it."

Twisting the doorknob, he grinned. "Never."

As he closed the door behind him, the last thing he heard was Usopp's dubious sigh. Stretching his arms overhead, he glanced down the sidewalk, mentally mapping his route. He wouldn't overdo it – much.

* * *

The door closed with a slam. Shrugging, she let her purse slide from her arm. It dropped to the ground with a thud.

She had spent the better part of the morning and early afternoon at the shop. It had not been an easy day. In fact, it had solidified her suspicion that it was infinitely more difficult to sell artistic maps if you didn't remember drawing them.

 _What's so special about this map of coastal islands?_

It was a question she had been asked today. And surely there _was_ something noteworthy about the islands she had painstakingly rendered. But she had no idea what it was. She wasn't exactly a winning saleswoman when she couldn't even talk up her own maps.

She winced as her temples gave a low throb. The headache was the cherry on top of an already not-so-great day.

She entered the bathroom, pressing a hand against her head. Maybe a shower would help. If nothing else, it would freshen her up before everyone came over. Seven? Was that when Usopp had said everyone was coming? Giving the knob a twist, she sighed as the room began to fill with steam.

She stepped in, wincing as she was assaulted by scalding water. Squirming, she twisted the other knob. With the temperature adjusted, she let her head fall back, enjoying the sensation of warm water streaming down her skin.

Robin was supposed to stop by soon. She said she'd bring some of Nami's things; pictures and knick knacks – mostly concerning Zoro; artifacts from what Nami had taken to calling the "five year gap". "The gap" for short.

She must have lost herself in her thoughts, for it felt like she'd been in the shower only minutes when the water turned cold. Hurrying to wash the last of the conditioner from her hair, she jumped out of the cool water.

As she reached for a towel, her gaze was drawn to her foot. It wasn't the first time the blemish had caught her eye. At the top of her foot, right above her toes, there was a small area of white, puckered skin. Scar tissue. From what, she had no idea. Yet another mystery courtesy of the five year gap.

When she emerged from her room, dressed, and with her headache at long last fading, she was surprised to find several boxes stacked in the center of her living room. A yellow note sat atop them. Plucking the paper from the boxes, she recognized Robin's curved writing immediately.

 _Nami, i had to run some errands. Dropped these off on my way through. See you tonight._

 _P.S. I would recommend locking your door._

Nami glanced up. It was indeed unlocked. _Strange._ She was sure she had locked it.

However, as she lifted the lid from the first box, concerns about the lock were instantly replaced by wonder at the teeming contents of the box. Heart thudding rapidly in her chest, she kneeled, gingerly lifting a stack of pictures from the top of the box. It was surreal.

Atop the pile was a picture of she and Zoro. He had an arm over her shoulder. Red faced and smiling, they each had a large drink in hand.

Fingers shaking, she slid the picture to the back of the pile, and looked from one picture to the next. She and Zoro at a park, she and Zoro with everyone else laughing around a table, she and Zoro at a bonfire – with Luffy photobombing from the background.

Swallowing, she set the stack of photos gingerly back in the box. It was one thing hearing that five years were gone. It was another thing entirely to see the evidence first hand.

Carefully, she reached out, touching a finger to the orange-haired woman pictured below. Was she even the same person as the smiling woman in the photos? How much had the experiences in those five years influenced the person she had become?

As she lifted her hand, a small box, half-hidden by a plushy cat caught her eye. Pushing the stuffed tiger aside, her fingers closed around a small, velvet box. Heart in her throat, she held it in her palm. She had a good guess as to what was inside.

Part of her wanted to tuck it back inside the box; hide it once more beneath the stuffed animal and pretend that such a momentous occasion hadn't been lost to her memory. The other part, remembering the glittering jewel from the picture, really, _really_ , wanted to look at it.

Flicking her thumb up, she snapped the lid back before she could decide against it.

A white, glittering diamond stared up at her. Placed with painstaking precision at the center of shining silver metal, it was encompassed by rows of tiny, glittering jewels. She breathed out, itching to slip it over her finger – just to try it on. It was beautiful. Fingering the smooth stone, she glanced down at the green-haired man smiling up from the picture.

"You know me when it comes to jewelry, I'll give you that."

"You were pointing out rings that you liked a full six months before I proposed."

Nami's head jerked up. The door was open and Zoro leaned against frame. The man before her looked much like the one in the picture. Except now, the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. It was unsettling to realize she could tell.

Folding his arms across his chest, Zoro continued. "I'd really be an idiot if I couldn't manage to figure it out after all that."

Sitting dumbly, with the open box upon her palm, Nami glanced between him and the ring. Coming to her senses, she jumped to her feet. "I just found – I mean, Robin dropped it off. But it's not really mine – well not anymore." She was rambling. Closing the lid with a snap, she extended her hand. "It's yours."

Zoro stiffened. She felt his gaze, heavy upon her. He straightened, eyes lingering on the velvet box in her palm. When he reached forward, she lifted her hand, meeting him halfway. But rather than grab the box, his hand shifted. Cupping her hand, he folded her fingers up, closing them over the box.

"Keep it. For now."

Swallowing, she nodded. Turning quickly, she avoided his eyes as she tucked the small box carefully among the pictures. Of course he didn't want it back. He remembered giving it to her – he – Nami glanced between her bangs.

He'd turned partially away; his eyes were hooded and his gaze distant.

He – _still loved her_. A weight settled in her stomach at the admission. Of course he wouldn't want it back. What was she thinking?

She was still bent when the door closed with a soft click. For a second, she thought he'd left. But then he spoke, his low voice filling the apartment.

"You really should lock your door. It's not safe."

"I've been hearing that a lot lately."

He didn't respond.

Clearing her throat, she stood. "So – uh." What time was it? "You're early?"

He leaned back against her table, glancing down as he spoke. "I was hoping we could have some time to talk – before everyone else gets here."

The idea of spending extra time, alone, with this man who intimately knew her sank in. She couldn't help it – her stomach instantly dropped.

He must have seen the reluctance on her face, because his expression fell. A second later his lips turned down. He was angry. For a split-second she thought the anger was directed at her.

"Damn-it. I wasn't thinking. Should have known this would make you uncomfortable. I'll – uh," He glanced at the clock. "I'll come back after everyone else is here." Straightening, he stood.

"Wait!" The word escaped her lips without a thought. She didn't know him, certainly. But there was something in his expression that prompted her to speak. She couldn't let him leave now. Not when he looked so – pained. Standing quickly, she spoke. "I don't mind. Why don't you – ah – sit down?" She gestured towards the couch.

He hesitated. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Forcing a smile, she shook her head. "Really, I'm fine."

He didn't sit down, but he didn't move to leave either. Finally, "You're usually a better liar than this."

Her face fell. Of course he'd know when she was lying – he had what? At least four years experience? Nonetheless, she shook her head. "I'm a big girl. We need to start talking anyway. It might as well be now."

"With that kind of enthusiasm, how could I say no?" He said, dryly.

"Sit." She pointed emphatically at the couch.

Hands raised in forfeiture, he moved to sit. "Tell me if you change your mind."

"Will do."

Without further pause, she dropped onto the couch, leaving a cushion's space between them. Leaning back, she watched him settle in. Elbows resting on his knees, his eyes roved briefly over the apartment before coming to rest on her.

"You lived here with me?" The question, unbidden, rose to her mouth as she watched him move. He seemed relaxed – almost at home.

He nodded, "Yeah. For a couple of years."

"Oh. Is it much different now?"

"No." He glanced around the room once, as if to make sure. "Not really. You were the self-appointed decorator anyway."

She found herself glancing at his outfit. A t-shirt and jeans. "I believe that."

He followed her gaze. "Yeah, you tried to decorate me too. It didn't work."

She pouted, considering. "Really? We dated for like four years and you _never_ let me dress you up?"

"No."

"I don't believe that."

The corners of his lips twitched.

Her mouth dropped open. "You liar!"

He ducked his head as his lips pulled back in a grin. "Alright, alright. Maybe once or twice."

She grinned in triumph. "What did I make you wear?"

His head was still bent. He spoke in a mumble. "Don't remember."

"Don't lie to me."

Chuckling, he looked up. "I'm not! I really don't remember."

She watched him with narrowed eyes. "It was probably incredibly fashionable."

He nodded obediently. "I'm sure it was."

A short spell of silence stretched between them.

Zoro cleared his throat. "Since you don't remember, if you want, I guess you can dress me up again."

Her smile widened. "I'll hold you to that."

"Oh, I know you will."

She paused, considering her words before she spoke. "It's weird, huh. You knowing me so well. When I don't know you at all."

He shrugged. "You're smart. I'm sure it won't take you all that long to have me figured out."

She watched him, her eyes tracing the lines of his face. "No."

He glanced up, meeting her eyes.

"I have a feeling there's a lot more to you than you let on."

They were interrupted by several heavy knocks on the door. A moment later, a loud voice carried through the wood.

"Naaaamiiiiii! Your prince is here!"

Chin on her palm, Nami listened to Sanji's voice. She swore she could hear thudding. Was he dancing outside the door? Rolling her eyes, she answered. "The door's open, Sanji!" At least one thing hadn't changed in the past five years.

She had barely spoken when the door flung open.

"I brought the ingredients for your favorite cocktails!"

Sanji danced through the door. However, he jerked to a stop upon noticing the extra person in the room.

His bags instantly discarded, Sanji crossed the room in several steps. Zoro immediately stood.

Sanji's fist struck his face with a dull smack.

Nami was on her feet. "Sanji!"

She was reaching for him, preparing to push him back, when Sanji surprised her again. Reaching forward, he pulled Zoro into a hug. "Shitty bastard, making us all think you were dead."

Nami halted. Hands still halfway raised, she watched the exchange with wide eyes.

The hug didn't last more than a second, before Sanji stepped back. Scowling, he crossed his arms. "So don't think about doing it again."

Matching his scowl, Zoro rubbed at his cheek. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Staring, she looked between them. "Are you okay? And Sanji, what the hell was that?"

Zoro's cheekbone had already colored a deep red. He flinched as he touched it. "I'm fine." He glared at the cook.

"As for Sanji-"

All three heads jerked up at the new voice. Usopp stood in the doorway, several bags in hand. He continued speaking as he dropped them on the counter.

"Sanji's emotionally stunted. Violence is how he displays his affection."

As Usopp passed, Sanji gave him a swift kick to the shin.

Usopp squeaked, stumbling forward. Steadying himself on the counter, he pursed his lips, pointing towards the blond cook. "Case and point." He winked, blowing the blond a kiss. "Love you too."

Sanji sputtered. "Because Neanderthals like you guys aren't deserving of my gentle, loving spirit!" Sanji clasped his hands in front of him. "I save it for angels like Nami and Robin."

As Usopp put the food he'd bought in the fridge, he glanced over his shoulder. "Want an ice pack?"

Zoro shrugged.

A second later, an ice pack flew across the room. Zoro snatched it out of the air. It was soon followed by a beer, which Zoro caught in his other hand.

Nami watched them with raised brows. "Making yourself right at home, aren't you?"

Usopp looked sheepish. "We had quite a few parties here. I know my way around your place."

It was unsettling to think that they all probably knew her apartment better than she did. Shaking off the thought, she spoke. "Then where's my beer?"

Usopp grinned. Another beer sailed from the kitchen.

Reaching in front of her, Zoro caught the drink with ease. He flicked the cap off with his thumb before passing it to her.

Huh. "You're pretty strong."

He shrugged, taking a swig of his drink. "Army. I do a bit of working out on my own too."

Right. Robin had told her. He'd been deployed – and missing in action. Taking a sip of her own drink, she nodded. "You'll have to tell me about it – being in the army."

Sanji interrupted. "Not much to tell. He shoots thing. Runs around. Then shoots things some more."

Nami puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

But the door was already swinging open again.

"Zoro!"

The voice, slightly higher pitched than the rest of her friends, took her a second to recognize. When he entered the room, she couldn't help but stare. She'd seen Chopper quite a few times since she'd awoken, but it was still taking some getting used to. He'd changed so much in five years.

Brown curls bouncing, Chopper raced across the room.

Zoro managed to shove his drink into her hands before he was tackled in a hug. Chopper laughed. "You big jerk! I knew that you'd come back! Usopp was a big downer, but I knew you were fine!"

An affronted exclamation sounded from the kitchen.

Grinning, Zoro ruffled the sixteen year old's hair. "You've gotten taller."

Squinting, Chopper swatted at the taller man's hand. "Yeah, so you can stop ruffling my hair."

"Nah, you're still not tall enough for that."

Nami watched their interactions, mesmerized. It was so strange – to see this man interacting so seamlessly with the people in her life, as if he'd always been there. With a jolt, she realized that he _had_ been there – for the last four years anyway. She, alone, didn't know him.

Suddenly, watching her friends interact with him, all of them relaxed, at home in the apartment that she'd only just started to know, she at once realized why her stomach had begun to tie in knots. Up until now, she had imagined Zoro to be the outsider.

Watching them all together, the truth settled like a terrible weight in her stomach. Zoro wasn't the outsider here – even after being gone for a year, he fit right in. After missing the last five years, the outsider was _her_.

Swallowing, she took a step back. Drink in hand, she watched them laugh and smile. Raising it to her lips, she took a long swig. As she watched the group interact with ease, she couldn't help but wonder: _how much had she missed?_

* * *

 _*_ Chanting* _Angst Angst Angst Angst  
_


	6. Chapter 6

Uh so...it's been a while. But hey! I'm back! I have a few chapters ready for Lost and Found (for those of you just following me here, I realized I never posted them on this site) and I'm working on the next update for The Bounty :) I hope this makes up for the long wait!

* * *

 _The room was lit in a pale glow. The television flickered. The woman, sprawled on the couch, was illuminated in the soft light. He watched the screen over her shoulder, one arm propped beneath his head. His other, rested on her stomach, languidly tracing patterns against her skin._

 _The movie had been playing for at least an hour and Nami had watched, entranced, the entire time. Though she'd seen the – what had she called it? A romance drama? Several times already, she insisted on watching it again, this time with him._

 _Zoro blinked. His eyelids felt heavy, and with every scene, they fluttered lower. The movie wasn't terrible, it just – wasn't his thing._

 _When her palm pressed over his hand, his eyes snapped open._

 _"The best part's coming up." Nami stared at the screen. The bright image flickered in her eyes._

 _Adjusting his arm, he pushed up, attempting focus._

 _On screen, the leading man stood at the center of a road. Rain poured, splattering the asphalt. His expression anguished, he stared forward, water dripping from his hair._

 _Safely out of Nami's line of vision, he rolled his eyes. Why did these movies always make rain out to be romantic? In his experience, it was mostly just cold._

 _The camera panned. On the other side of the road, stood the female lead. She was drenched as well. At once, the camera was back on the man. His chest rose and fell as he stepped deliberately forward. With rain steadily streaming in in the background, the he spoke._ "I love you."

 _Ah. He didn't know much about romantic movies, but he knew what this was: the confession._

"I want to hold you, let you melt in my arms." _He halted, struggling._ "But it's more than that. I want to spend every day with you. I want to fall asleep beside you, get used to the sound you make when you snore, and wake up in the morning missing half the covers and just about falling off the bed."

 _Gaining confidence, he took a step._

 _Nami's eyes were riveted on the screen._

"And it won't matter, cause every day, I'll fall in love with you more. Every morning I want to fall in love with the sounds you make when you get ready for work, the way you hum when you're making coffee, how you smile and don't even know you're doing it."

 _Another step._

"And I know it sounds insane, but I want to do it for my whole life. I want to spend every second falling in love with you again and again, in every possible way. So please. Let me show you. From this day on, let me show you how much I love you."

 _Nami's hand squeezed._

 _The camera panned to the woman. Who, of course, was crying. And then they were kissing, never mind the water running down their faces, probably getting in their mouths._

 _"It is kind of romantic."_

 _He snorted – he couldn't help it._

 _She rolled on her back. Though her face was half in shadow, he could see her lips pucker in a frown. "You don't think so?"_

 _"Looks cold and wet to me."_

 _She rolled her eyes. "He's professing his undying love for her." She gestured to where they were still furiously kissing in the rain. "A little weather doesn't mean anything at that point."_

 _"They're standing in the middle of the road! They're gonna get hit!"_

 _"True love Zoro!"_

 _At that, he laughed. Shaking his head, he gave in. "Alright, alright. Clearly I don't know anything when it comes to true love and romance – stuff."_

 _"That's okay. I have plenty of movies."_

 _He groaned._

* * *

The boxes were open and their contents spread across the room. So far, she'd managed to arrange everything into somewhat manageable piles. Even so, it was overwhelming.

Dropping to the couch, she surveyed the collection. Pictures. Trinkets. Clothes – mostly his. And a few letters which she'd yet to read. Her head fell back against the cushion. She usually liked _things_. In fact, she considered shopping to be one of her favorite pastimes. But _these_ things only made her tired.

Perhaps it wouldn't be nearly as exhausting if it were only the contents of the boxes that waited to be sorted. But it was so much more. Her whole life needed sorting – the apartment around her was filled with things she didn't remember buying, mementos of acts she couldn't remember doing.

Eyes closed, she laid for a moment, pretending that the apartment around her was still her own.

She was startled awake by a noise. Blinking, she stared at the ceiling.

A heavy knock pounded at the door. It was followed by a voice.

" _Naaamii!_ Let us in! _It's cold!_ "

The voice – unmistakably Luffy's – was followed by several knocks, which pounded the door in quick succession.

As she jumped to her feet, other voices sounded beyond the door – one high and one low. The knocks abruptly ceased as the voices outside rose and fell. It sounded like an argument.

She tugged at the handle and a gust of cold, damp air immediately assaulted her. On her doorstep, crowded under a yellow umbrella, Luffy, Chopper, and Zoro stood, hunched together.

In the middle, Luffy stood, one fist raised, as if preparing to knock. Beside him, Zoro held Luffy fist in a two-handed grip, restraining him. Hands shoved in his pockets, Chopper huddled beside them, clearly attempting to stay under the wobbling umbrella.

She stared at the scene as a steady stream of water splatted the ground, falling from a nearby gutter.

Luffy spoke first, followed quickly by Zoro.

"We came to visit!"

"I was just walking them here." Zoro glared at his grinning friend. "I wasn't going to stay."

Luffy laughed. It was lighthearted. "It's too wet to walk back now anyway. Come inside! Nami won't mind."

She was immediately faced with three stares.

It _had_ been awfully quiet in the apartment. And although she was still getting used to Chopper's age and well, Zoro was still a bit of a mystery to her, Luffy never failed to put her at ease. Assured by his unshakable smile, she stepped back, gesturing them in.

Luffy jumped through the door, followed closely by Chopper, who entered, shaking water from his hair.

Last, Zoro hesitated, one hand brushing dewy drops from the sleeves of his coat. "I meant to get out of here before Luffy knocked. Since I just saw you yesterday, I didn't want you to feel, you know, overwhelmed or anything." Rain streamed from the umbrella that he held slightly askew. "I can still go."

For a split second, she did consider it. It was exhausting, trying to put her life back together. Even more exhausting, was trying to fit him back into it.

But she couldn't send him away. Not like this. Behind him, rain fell in torrents. The poor guy was half-drenched already.

"Really, come in. I'll make you some coffee."

He bent, closing the umbrella with a snap.

"Nami! I'm already making hot chocolate."

She spun, the man in her doorway temporarily forgotten. "Oh no you don't!" Crossing the room in quick strides, she yanked the powdered cocoa mix from Luffy's grasp.

Luffy wined, "Nami, _why?_ "

Peeling back the lid, she grabbed for a mug. " _Why?_ I'll tell you why!" She spooned several large heaps of cocoa into the cup. Luffy's hot cocoa catastrophe was still vivid in her memory. "The last time you made hot cocoa your drink _exploded_ in the kitchen!" She'd yet to figure out how he did it. But she'd found rogue splatterings of chocolate for _weeks_ afterwards.

Luffy groaned. "That was like _five years ago_."

Startled, Nami straightened. To her, it had seemed like just a few months since the hot-cocoa disaster had taken place. But if she remembered it, of course the memory must be at least five years old. Quiet, she poured hot water into the cup. She stirred, watching the powder dissolve into rich, dark liquid.

Zoro's presence was announced by the squeak of wet rubber against tile. "It's not like you haven't made plenty of other messes in this kitchen since then." From across the counter, Zoro sent Luffy an accusing glare.

Her eyes flicked up. The stirring paused. "Like what?

"Nothing! Nothing happened!" Eyes wide, Luffy looked beseechingly at Zoro.

Zoro made a show of picking at a nail. "I don't know. Since she can't remember, I feel like it's our responsibility to fill her in."

Luffy moaned. Slumping against the counter, he held out his hand. "Give me my cocoa first."

With the mug firmly in hand, he sipped, mumbling into the warm liquid. "Don't want you to dump it on me when you get mad."

Her mouth dropped open. What kind of havoc did he wreak in her kitchen? "What did you do?"

Grinning, Zoro leaned in. "You wanna know about the time he tried to balance egg _s_ on a spoon?" he spoke, emphasizing the plural. "Or maybe the time he tried to blend flour – just flour – with your mixer? Oh, then there's the time he caught your trashcan on fire. The alarms went off and the whole building had to evacuate." Zoro cleared his throat, turning to Luffy. "Oh yeah, and that one time you and Usopp found a dead squirrel that you wanted to dissect and decided it was a good idea to _store it in the fridge_." He glared. "You're just lucky it was me who found it, and not Nami."

Nami pried stiff fingers from the counter. "You put a _dead squirrel_ in my refrigerator?"

Luffy laughed, scratching the back of his head. It came out edgy and strained. "Ahaha – we threw it away."

"How long?"

Luffy ducked. Dark hair obscured his eyes.

"Luffy, _how long was it in there?_ "

"You and Zoro were on a weekend trip. So, you know – just a few days."

"A few _\- days?_ " Her hands slowly balled into fists.

Across the counter, Zoro leaned in, apparently entertained.

She turned. "Why didn't I kill him?"

Zoro shrugged. "You made him clean the entire thing with bleach."

Hands slowly unclenching, she turned back to Luffy. While she'd talked to Zoro, he'd retreated several feet. Now, he clutched the mug of cocoa like a shield before his chest.

"You're lucky I don't remember, Luffy. If I did, I'm sure I'd still be pissed."

Luffy looked up from the drink. He stared at her, his eyes wide and honest. "I'd rather you remembered – even if you were still mad at me."

The apartment went quiet.

Her fingers looked for something to hold. They latched onto the first thing she found, an empty mug. She glanced down, turning the cup in hand. "Me too."

"Hey – Nami?" Chopper's soft voice called from the living room. "You have a lot of stuff out here. You need help with it?"

His voice drew her back to the present. Setting the mug on the counter, she smiled. "Help would be great actually. I'm still trying to figure out how most of it fits in my life."

She was almost to the living room before she remembered. The coffee. "Zoro, did you still want coffee?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll make it later."

She was about to protest, until she remembered that he, like everyone else, knew his way around her kitchen better than she did.

"Zoro, you should come in here too," Chopper called. "You'll be a much bigger help than me."

Zoro glanced towards her, silently asking her permission to join.

Pushing away her unease, she managed a shrug. It would be fine. Just – everything would be so much easier if she remembered him, even a little bit. Part of her still balked at the idea of someone who she had no memory of telling her such personal details about her own life.

In the living room, Chopper knelt before a pile. The compact mound was piled with small baubles – the trinket pile. And at its peak, sat the small stuffed tiger.

Chuckling, Chopper plucked the animal from the pile. " _Zooorooo_ , look, it's your favorite stuffed animal."

Zoro's lips curled.

Nami grabbed it from Chopper as he waved it in the air. She turned the soft toy over in her hands. It seemed normal enough. Just a cute little tiger.

Still frowning, Zoro dropped to the couch with a sigh. "That stupid animal cost me thirty bucks."

She twisted the cat, looking at it from all angles. It certainly seemed like a regular toy.

Chopper continued to snicker. "He only spent that much cause he was trying to impress you."

She raised her brows.

"It was one of those carnival games," Zoro said, chiming in. "And it was also totally rigged."

"Sure it was." Chopper spoke, still sifting through the pil

Adamant, he shook his head. When he spoke, it was just to her. "No it really was. You know those games where you knock down the pins?"

She nodded.

"I'm pretty sure these were glued together."

"And Zoro stayed there playing it for _an hour_." Luffy cackled, emerging from the kitchen. In his hand, he held a half-eaten muffin.

Nami lifted her hand – and let it fall. She'd been saving the muffin for tomorrow's breakfast. But she really didn't want it _now_. As she watched, Luffy popped the second half of the crumbling muffin in his mouth. His eyes squinted in pleasure as he chewed.

Luffy's appetite was clearly as insatiable as ever. She added this factoid to the mental list she had running of things that had somehow _not_ changed in the last five years.

"But I did win it. Eventually."

Nami stared down at the small, plush animal in her hands. It sounded like quite a story. She'd likely kept the cheap – or not so cheap – toy for all these years _because_ of the story behind it, and the memories it had called back.

But now - Nami absently stroked the soft fabric – now it didn't mean anything, besides the abbreviated story they'd told her. What was she supposed to do with it? Though it didn't mean anything to her - she looked up, glancing at the men in the room - clearly, it meant something to them. But it wasn't like she could just give it to them either. It was special because Zoro had won it _for her_.

Really, she was stuck. And as she looked around the room, she realized it was the same for almost all the piles of possessions. For her, they no longer held meaning, but she couldn't flat out get rid of them because of what they meant to her friends.

"Uh, Chopper?"

She cleared her throat, and he looked up from the messy pile.

"I think I might put most of it in storage – at least for now. Until I get a handle on-" She hesitated. "-everything."

Chopper tried to hide his surprise. "Oh – Sure Nami. We can probably figure out something for storage." As he spoke, he automatically looked to Luffy.

Luffy shrugged. "Probably. Robin could just take them back."

Nami cringed. She felt bad returning to Robin the boxes she had _just_ dropped off.

Luffy must have read her face. "Robin won't mind. She's nice like that!"

Even so, Nami was reluctant to burden her further. "Maybe."

Chopper hesitated, leaning over her things. "Do you want me to – uh – put them back in the boxes? For now?"

Nami nodded, latching onto his last words. _For now_. It wasn't permanent, she told herself. Just a temporary reprieve from dealing with a lot of – she looked around her – _things_.

Which reminded her –

"Oh Zoro, there were a few of your clothes in there. You can take them now if you want."

Zoro looked up, pleased. "I was actually running out. Wasn't much room in my duffle for carrying clothes."

Nami smiled as she reached for the stack. "Then you're in luck. I remember seeing a few shirts, some pants, and at least one jacket."

As she passed it to him, she brushed her hand over the jacket atop the stack. Dyed various shades of green, it could only be official army issue.

With Luffy and Chopper focused on re-boxing her possessions, she picked her way to the couch and sat gingerly beside him. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty. This whole time, he'd been kind, trying not to say or do anything that would upset her. But what had she done for him? The man had been missing in action for god sake! Just because she didn't remember him, didn't mean she shouldn't be working to know him now. And she was never going to truly know him if she didn't take an interest in his life, bad things included.

"You were missing in action." It wasn't a question.

He touched a hand to the jacket. "Yeah. For two months."

Nami swallowed, trying to comprehend even a little of the horror he must have experienced. She couldn't. "I can't imagine what that must have been like."

He shrugged, nonchalant. However, when he spoke, his voice carried an edge. "It wasn't easy. But I got through it."

"How?"

"You." The answer was instantaneous. After he spoke, they both went silent.

"Me?" She tilted her head, wordlessly pressing him to continue.

Looking away, he scratched at his hair. "When I was alone, sick out there, drifting in and out of consciousness – I thought of you. And when I was tired, and wanted nothing more than to sleep for a long, long time, I made myself picture your face."

She met his eyes. His stare was honest. "Thinking of coming back to you – it kept me going."

At some point during his speech, her mouth had fallen open. He talked like he was straight out of a movie.

Her mind reeled as she processed the significance of his words. Once again, she was reminded that he was really, truly, in love with her. It was one thing to hear him say it. But here, now, without so much as uttering those three words, he'd said it all the same.

And she wished, she really did, that she felt elation upon this realization. Instead, she felt terrified – but more than that, she felt undeserving. It wasn't fair – to him especially; for him to feel so strongly, while she enjoyed his presence, but so far, only harbored an initial, physical attraction to the man.

Tucking the clothes under his arm, he stood. And she could tell; he'd seen the conflicted emotions as they'd crossed her face.

"I did it again, didn't I?"

She wanted to deny it, but she met his eyes, and found she couldn't lie. "It's still just – a lot." She gestured inarticulately between the things piled around the room and him.

"I'm gonna go."

Protests rose to her mouth, but he spoke first.

"I'm not mad or anything. I just – it seems like every time I talk to you, I end up making things worse. For now, I'm getting out of here before I do any more damage."

The way he said it, it reminded her of the trinkets and toys – being boxed away until convenient.

"I don't-"

"It's alright." Turning, he gave Chopper and Luffy a wave. "I'm heading back. See you."

The door swung open, and for a moment, all she heard was the pattering of rain. And then he was gone.

The room sat in stunned silence, until Luffy spoke.

"He didn't even take the umbrella."

Sure enough, propped beside the door, the yellow umbrella waited, undisturbed.

Nami was on her feet before she'd fully processed her thoughts. Grabbing the umbrella, she yanked the door open.

And then she was in the rain. Previously, she hadn't thought it was raining that hard. But now, as she ran down the steps, nearly slipping on the damp concrete, she began to reconsider the impulsive decision. Large drops fell, splattering over her hair and rapidly drenching her clothes.

She jumped down the last two steps and her already soaked slippers splashed in a puddle.

He couldn't have gotten far. She turned, blinking against the rain.

There. A few houses down, she saw his hunched figure, marching on despite the rain.

"Zoro!"

It was like he'd been zapped. At her voice, he went ramrod straight. He turned almost instantly, as if his body had initiated the movement on its own volition.

She waved the still-closed umbrella above her. "You forgot to take an umbrella!"

Rain splatted the ground between them.

His face scrunched up. And then he called back, shouting over the sound of the rain. "Why the hell didn't you open it up? You could have used it when you chased me out here."

She stared dumbly at the bright umbrella. Her shirt, which was by now thoroughly wet, clung to her back. She looked up. "I don't know!"

He seemed to fumble for words. "You- g- Well put it up now!" And then he was marching back, each step splashing the flooded sidewalk.

By the time he stood in front of her, the umbrella was up; rain dully drummed against the thin fabric.

"We're both already wet."

The corner of his lips tugged reluctantly up. "Then why does it matter if I have it now?"

She jerked her shoulders in a noncommittal shrug. "Maybe you'll be less wet by the time you get back to Luffy's."

"Fine, I'll take it."

Her fingers brushed against his as she passed him the umbrella. For being drenched, his hands were surprisingly warm.

"Get back inside. Go – er – take a warm shower or something."

Her slippers squelched as she stepped back. He'd begun to turn when she realized she had something left to say.

"Zoro."

He halted. Rain ran in rivulets, streaming down the umbrella's yellow seams. Her mouth opened and closed.

"You're just getting wetter."

She sniffed as a heavy drop landed right on her nose. "If I could snap my fingers and make everything between you and me suddenly feel right again I would."

He looked ready to speak, but she raised her voice, stubbornly pushing on.

"And I know, I really do, it's not fair. To you, especially. But I don't want to pack you away like the things up there." She swallowed, doing her best to ignore the hair sticking to her forehead and neck. "It might not seem like it, but I do want to try. Just – don't give up on me, alright?"

Zoro stared. And for a long moment, rainfall was the only sound between them.

"Of course I'm not gonna give up on you." He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Didn't you hear me when I said I was would wait as long as it took?"

At his tone, she was suddenly defensive. "A lot of things have been up in the air, alright? And you left kind of suddenly up there."

"God Nami, I'd never-" He took a step forward, and then halted, seemingly thinking better of it. Rain pelted the sidewalk between them. "Just believe me when I say, I'm not gonnna give up on you. It would never happen. And I get that it's a lot to take in. You have a lot to process. Just know that when that happens, when it's too much, I'll go. I don't mind. But I'll always come back."

Nami looked up between dripping bangs. She spoke, half to herself. "That sounds like a pretty good deal on my end."

"Yeah, yeah." Zoro waved a deflecting hand. "Get back inside already. You have to be freezing."

"It's a bit cold," she admitted. The chill from her soaked clothes was starting to sink in against her skin.

Backtracking, she waved a sodden sleeve. "I'll call. Soon."

He was already leaving, shoulders hunched beneath the umbrella. Her gut tugged. Watching him now, she inexplicably knew: he was having a harder time than he let on. He was trying to be strong, for her. She pushed back her bangs and felt cold droplets roll down her face. As he left, a single question plagued her. Who then, was going to be strong for him?

At the bottom step, she paused. Lulled by patter of rain against the gutter, she watched the yellow umbrella bob down the street, staying, until it disappeared around the corner.


	7. Chapter 7

Here's the next chapter! Thank you for the lovely reviews!

Chapter 7:

* * *

 _The door to the coffee shop opened with a jingle. Light jazz crackled from invisible speakers and he scanned the tables, the rich scent of fresh coffee grounds filling his nose._

 _There she was._

 _Tucked in a corner, she'd taken a table meant for four. Scraps of paper fanned out, monopolizing the entirety of the table space. With hair tied up, piled high on her head, she hunched over the table. Her focus on the paper below was absolute._

 _She hadn't see him come in, so he went ahead to the counter and ordered a drink. As his coffee was prepared and he waited, listening to the espresso machine hiss, she stared down, her focus unbroken._

 _Mug in hand, he approached the table. It wasn't until he pulled the chair back and its wooden legs squeaked over the linoleum that her concentration was at long last broken. As he dropped into the chair, she looked up with a start._

 _"Zoro!" Shuffling papers back to make room for his mug, she glanced up at the clock. "I didn't think you were coming for another half an hour."_

 _"One of the recruits was injured in an exercise. We ended the day early."_

 _Once the papers were arranged in reasonably neat piles, she leaned over the table and captured his lips in a slow, caressing kiss._

 _Against his lips, she murmured, "I missed you."_

 _A throat cleared._

 _Tilting her head, Nami grinned sheepishly over his shoulder. "Sorry Ms. Ricci!"_

 _Smiling, he gave the woman behind the counter a wave. He muttered under his breath, "I forgot the crotchety old woman has a problem with PDA."_

 _Gasping, Nami shushed him. "This is my favorite coffee shop! I'll kill you if you get us kicked out."_

 _"You were just saying how much you missed me."_

 _Smiling, she played with his hand. "I did. But this is coffee, Zoro. Serious business."_

 _Grasping her hand, he squeezed. "What are you working on?" He nodded to the papers._

 _"It's from our trip to Lovell's Island!" After shuffling through the papers, she held up a half-finished map. "It's really coming along. In fact, I've almost finished the Eastern coast."_

 _He could see where a coastline stretched, complete, save for an inch or so of blank space._

 _"Go ahead and finish it."_

 _"You're here now. I can finish it later."_

 _"I came early and interrupted your drawing time. I want to watch."_

 _"Really?" she asked, skeptical._

 _Surprisingly enough, he did. "I've never watched you work on your maps before."_ _  
_

 _"If you're sure." She smiled. "I'll explain my process as I go."_

 _And so she'd rifled through her papers – mostly her initial sketches of the island – and pen in hand, had begun to carefully etch lines once more._

 _As she drew, her eyes traced the work, occasionally flicking up to meet his stare. Lips pursed, she spoke, her loud voice subdued in concentration. As her hand moved, brushing sure, steady strokes she told him about the measurements she'd made, how she scaled the compact drawing, and even the secrets to keeping a steady hand._

 _He couldn't look away._

 _Forgotten, his coffee cooled._

 _It was there, in the coffee shop with that god-awful jazz, persistent, in the background that the revelation struck._

 _Well shit._

 _He was in love._

* * *

Around her, maps tacked carefully to the walls waved and fluttered. She'd opened the window because it had felt a bit stuffy, but now it was cold. Pacing the room, she rubbed at her arms. Normally the light, crisp smell of paper was a balm to her nerves.

But not today.

And she had no one to blame but herself. When she'd called Zoro that morning, asking if he wanted to get lunch, she'd been absolutely, one-hundred percent sure that she was ready to see him.

Now that he was on his way, bringing take-out for lunch – her confidence waned.

As she paced, the headache that had plagued her the previous evening threatened to return, a creeping throb behind her temples. Pressing the heels of her hands against her forehead, she sighed.

"Hey – you alright?"

Her hands dropped.

Paper bag in hand, Zoro stood at the door.

"I'm fine."

He looked skeptical.

"Really." Quickly shuffling papers from her desk, she waved him over. "What did you bring?"

"Burritos." Pulling a hand from the bag, he waived a paper-wrapped burrito in the air.

"From where?"

"La Casita."

"Never heard of it."

He didn't even look up from the burritos and chips he was setting out on the desk. "You like it."

Oh.

"Did I eat there a lot?"

"We got it a lot when we had movie nights."

They had movie nights? And how often had she eaten those monster burritos? That could not have been healthy. "What kind of movies did we watch?"

Peeling the lid from a container of salsa, he hesitated for the slightest moment. "You know, some action. Some comedy."

"You're lying." She didn't know how, but she knew. It was as obvious as a neon sign flashing above his head.

He looked at her sharply. "How the hell did you know?"

"What did we watch?"

His answer was a mumble.

"What?"

"Chick-flicks." He breathed. "The - uh - romance ones."

" _No_." A smile spread across her face. "You don't seem like the type."

"I'm not!" Glancing down, he amended. "Well I wasn't. You made me watch a lot. They kind of grew on me."

Amazing. Reaching for a burrito, she wondered what other secrets he might be harboring.

Across the desk, he'd already begun to eat his, wolfing it down in large bites. Peeling back the wrapping, she took a tentative bite of her own. _It was good_. She took a larger bite. Savory rice, beans, and tender meat mixed with salsa that had just the right kick, blended together on her tongue. No wonder they'd eaten there a lot.

When she looked up, he was watching her. A scrunched-up burrito wrapper had been discarded on the desk. "Good?"

She nodded, grabbing for a napkin. "Really good. You were totally right. I love it."

He nodded, pleased.

As she ate, they lapsed into silence. It was still somewhat awkward, as she found herself without much to say. But earlier – when he'd first arrived, for a short while at least, it had felt…different. There had been a certain ease to their interactions. Why? She couldn't say. Maybe he'd begun to seem less of a stranger to her. But there'd been something about the way he'd behaved too; it seemed like less of a strain to bring up events she didn't remember. Perhaps he was coming to terms with the fact that she might never remember – and was now focused on moving forward.

It was a heartening thought. Because if she was never going to get those five years back – which she very well might not – she was ready to move forward too.

When she finished, he took the paper from her, crunched it up and tossed it in the bag. Rolling it all in a giant paper wad, he took aim, and tossed it at the trash. It dropped in with a thunk.

She whistled. "You missed your calling. Should have played basketball."

Brushing an invisible speck of dust from his shoulder, he feigned indifference. "Yeah. I mean, I've never missed a five foot trashcan shot yet."

"An impressive record."

"I like to think so."

They sunk into another short spell of silence.

Hands clasped together, he lifted his head, looking around the room. "How's business going?"

She opened her mouth, ready to tell him it was going well, but instead, told the truth. "Kind of awful actually."

He sat up, surprise clear on his face. "What? Why?"

She shrugged, glancing down at her hands.

"Your maps are the best out there. Not to mention, they're fucking works of art. There's no way people don't want to buy them."

 _Works of art._ For a moment, she sat, stunned. Eyes upturned, she looked around the room. Was that really what he thought of them?

"You think they're art?"

"Of course they're art. I watched you work on them; saw the time and work you put into making every line perfect, getting just the right colors."

She blinked. "Oh."

"What's really going on?"

She sucked in a deep breath - and dropped back with a sigh. "The problem's not the maps. It's me. I'm an awful saleswoman these days."

"Nami. You're an _amazing_ saleswoman. You once convinced some poor bastard to buy a half drunk bottle of coke off you."

"No way."

He held up his hands. "I saw the whole thing."

Chin perched on her hand, she watched him with an amused smile. "Maybe you were unknowingly doing some tough guy routine. _Maybe_ the guy was intimidated into buying the drink."

He opened his mouth. And closed it. He blinked. "I hadn't thought about that." He frowned. "Now that you mention it, you _did_ hold my hand the whole time. I was right next to you."

She shrugged. "It's how I would do it now."

"What makes you a bad saleswoman then?"

Crossing her arms, she draped herself over the desk. "I know next to nothing about most of the maps here. I mean, I could research the locations online – and I have. But what _really_ sells is when I can describe to the buyer exactly what makes _this one_ map special: the things I saw, felt, smelled." Her head dropped to the desk with a light thud. "And I can't remember _any_ of that."

He didn't reply.

Instead, his chair scraped back. Heavy footfalls crossed the floor.

Something was set upon the desk.

She lifted her head. A map. More importantly, it was one from the five year gap: a peninsula.

Zoro leaned over it, his hands braced on the desk. "You did a lot of traveling on your own. But when we were dating, every once in a while, you'd bring me along."

Slowly, she sat up, looking between him and the map. "You went here-" she traced her finger lightly over the paper. "with me?"

He nodded.

"And you remember it?"

"The important parts."

"Tell me."

"Alright. Well, here-" his index finger hovered over the coast. "There were cliffs. They were really high. Must have stretched up at least a mile. But the color was what really struck me. It was this warm tan. And all over, there were streaks of red. Really vibrant. It made the ocean water seem that much more blue."

She listened, enraptured, imagining the scene he described.

His finger shifted. "Up from the cliffs there were hills. They were the greenest things I've ever seen. And there were all these tiny little trees just sitting at the bottom of the slope."

Tracing a hand over the paper, she looked at the lines with renewed wonder. "Another. Do another one."

So he retrieved another map. And another. And then another.

Heads bent together, they stared down at map after map. Imagined scenery danced before her eyes as he recounted their trips, describing the wonders she no longer remembered.

So caught up was she in the sound of his low, baritone voice and the way his hands lifted, fingers curving to mime the shapes of lakes, rivers, hillsides, that the sudden squeak of the shop's door, accompanied by a cool gust, caught her off guard.

"Nami?" Robin called in from the door.

She jumped, surprised. Hadn't Robin said she was coming by at 5:00? Her eyes turned up to the clock. It read 5:10

Robin's gaze flicked between them. Her curiosity was evident. "Zoro, I thought you and Nami were getting lunch?" Her lips curved up in a slow smile. "You've been here all this time?"

Nami coughed, clearing her throat. "He was telling me about some of the maps I don't remember. I guess we lost track of the time."

"I see." If anything, the smile grew. "Are you still up for game night at my place? I was going to stop by the store and could use a couple extra hands to help carry the groceries."

"Yep!"

She glanced sideways at Zoro. He'd been invited right? It would be rude to be talking about it in front of him otherwise.

Robin was already addressing him. "You're coming?"

"Yeah, I was planning on it." He glanced once in her direction. "You don't mind?"

She shook her head.

What was she supposed to say? He'd spent the better part of the afternoon doing nothing but describing maps to her. The guy deserved to have some fun. Besides, the afternoon had been…nice. Really nice. Despite the lingering awkwardness, she found that she really did want to spend more time with him.

"You should definitely come. But be prepared. You probably already know, I'm _pretty_ competitive."

He snorted. "That's for sure." Grinning, he leaned in. "But guess what? So am I."

He was close enough that her first instinct was to take a step back. But she'd been doing enough of that lately. Holding her ground, she met his eyes. Then, as if it were their natural path, her eyes slowly rolled down. They slid down, tracing the bridge of his nose, and finally, landed on his lips.

"Shall we go then?" Robin spoke from the door.

Blinking, she forcibly turned away, cursing her traitorous eyes all the while. She'd meant to meet his stare, not give his face an, an - an eye grope.

Her stomach did a small flip as she collected her purse and hurried to the door. It was undeniable that he was attractive. Wandering eyes were to be expected. But physical attraction couldn't take the place of affection or love. She didn't want a lingering gaze to be interpreted as something more. Not until she had something more to give.

After locking up the shop, they set off down the street. Robin chatted about her day at the university and Nami listened, all the while unable to quite meet the gaze of the man beside her.


End file.
